Today, at a tele-meeting called on by the MUA's Queensland Branch and National Office, the Union sought to re-engage in good faith negotiations with Graeme Legh, the CEO of RiverCity Ferries, to try to advance a consensus before the weekend's Riverfire event.
Industrial action has been occurring for some time, and RiverCity Ferries has had ample opportunity over more than 17 meetings to engage in negotiations with their workforce in a meaningful way.
Instead, they have forced workers to choose between a disingenuous and counterintuitive draft agreement or ongoing industrial action.
No consensus was achieved at today's meeting, with River City Ferries' CEO refusing to budge on the many crucial fatigue and pay issues that remain in dispute.
With no meaningful movement from the company, the workforce is left with no choice but to go ahead with the industrial action given notice of earlier this week.
"Corporate greed has won the day in Brisbane, with a billion-dollar company choosing ongoing disputation with its workforce over good-faith negotiations and a fair outcome for hard working ferry crews," said Mich-Elle Myers, Assistant National Secretary of the MUA.
"The CEO's pay has gone up $500,000, corporate profits have ballooned by 16%, but these bosses want to offer a substandard wage outcome and make no effort to address the significant fatigue management concerns that their crews have raised," said MUA Queensland Secretary, Aaron Johnston.
"Once again, River City Ferries has chosen confrontation over negotiation despite every good faith offer made by the Union," said Mr Johnston.
The other issues in dispute between RiverCity Ferries and the two maritime unions, the MUA and the AMOU, are improvements to paid parental leave provisions, proper protections for heat and inclement weather, a 12-hour break between shifts to address fatigue, and ensuring workers receive their full meal break every day - something that doesn't occur right now.
